TDL&TH Chapter XII: Troubled Mind

Returning to Asuka and Harmonia, Griffith sat down to observe the next match. Although he did try his best to hide how he was feeling, yet it was difficult to do so due to his mental state interfering with his skills. It was not too obvious to Harmonia, but she figured Artem was not feeling well and that a guy like Asuka would be better suited.

“Asuka,” Harmonia whispers, “you should talk to Artem after school.”

“You should as well,” Asuka responds with an interested look, “but are you not better suited for this?”

“There are some things I can do, but I do not think doing it alone will help Artem.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

After class, it was a typical routine for Griffith – guard princess Harmonia and make sure there is not too much trouble. At the end of the day, Griffith escorts Harmonia to the entrance of the women’s dorm and begins walking back to the men’s dorm.

What should I do? What should I say? Griffith thought as he walked, Well, the first thing she would want is an explanation for why I am here…

“Hey! Artem!” says Asuka with a raised hand as a sort of greeting.

“Hah, you’ve been waiting for me?” Griffith responds.

“Figured you might feel like talking to someone.”

“After what I’ve been through? I guess I could always complain to someone,” Griffith spoke with a smirk.

As they began walking towards the men’s dorm, Asuka asks, “well, is there anything on your mind?”

“… Ever believe in fate, Asuka?”

“Can’t say I do, but go on…”

“It usually follows the same pattern in stories – the demon lord and the heroine, fighting against one another. The story ends after the heroine killing the demon lord, but what would happen if the demon lord fell in love with the heroine?”

“Wouldn’t the story have a happy ending?”

“That’s where you are wrong, Asuka,” Griffith said, his voice solemn, “humans nor demons would not get along that easy. Humans can be just as fickle as demons, yet believe they are justified in their actions. It is the same for demons. In the end, it is all just one cycle that runs deep – yet nobody stops to question their actions.”

“Can’t really argue with that…”

“Even if the demon lord and the heroine were to marry, the heroine would be cast out and ostracized by society. In the end, you don’t need a demon lord to figure out that there are monsters everywhere.”

“And where does fate belong in all of this?”

“Fate is inescapable,” Griffith responded, “only a god could be ‘free‘ from it.“

Upon reaching the men’s dorm, the pair gets ready for bed and fall asleep. For the most part, they were rather silent as Asuka was still thinking about Griffith’s words.

[Author’s Notes]

Although this chapter is short, I also decided to add in another side story!

Please do look forward to the next chapters, and be sure to comment anything you find interesting!